In certain engines for military trucks the oil filters are positioned in an upstanding orientation alongside the engine block; the filter units are mounted on subjacent hollow bases that are bolted onto the engine. Each filter unit contains a considerable quantity of oil. There is therefore a danger that if the oil filter units are loosened and removed from the mounting bases without first draining the oil, then oil within the filter units will gush downwardly out of the filter units as they are lifted from the mounting bases.
To avoid this danger it has been proposed to provide a drain opening in the bottom surface of the filter base. However, in some engine installations the zone immediately beneath the filter base is obstructed by mechanisms such as valves, liquid lines, electrical lines, etc. In such cases it is impossible to position a container or funnel to collect the oil, resulting in oil splashing and spilling.
The present invention proposes an arrangement comprising a small auxiliary housing threaded into an opening in the exposed front wall of the filter base. A threaded plug is screwed into a passage in this small housing by means of a hex key wrench (Allen type) insertable through a mouth opening in the housing front wall. With this arrangement the sealing plug for the drain opening is easily accessible without having to put a wrench or funnel into the cluttered area beneath the filter base.
During a drain operation with the proposed structure the oil initially flows into the auxiliary housing in a horizontal direction; however it does not gush out through the aforementioned mouth opening because I provide a flexible boot over the mouth opening. The boot has a small hole therethrough which accommodates the hex key wrench; the boot is substantially sealed at the hole-wrench joint, and the oil is directed into a tubular downspout carried by the housing. A flexible hose can be telescoped onto the downspout to direct the oil to a nonobstructed zone for collection of disposal.
The invention is believed to provide several advantages, for examply easy access to the valve element for drain purposes, isolation of the valve element from inadvertent manual opening by technicians performing non-related maintenance operations, satisfactory sealing action when the engine is operating, relatively small space requirements over and beyond those of conventional drain plugs, relatively low manufacturing cost, and minimum modification of the existing engine structure.
The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.